Last modified: Sun Aug 5 20:13:37 AST 2001

ICMC 2001

General Information

See also:

OFF ICMC events and proposals
vote the workshop
Juan Blanco, ICMC 2001 Honorary Director. Juan is the director of the Laboratorio Nacional de Musica Electroacustica, and a pioneer of electroacoustic music in Cuba. An article by Neil Leonard (courtesy of the author and the CMJ -- Computer Music Journal).
Organizing Committee and partners
United States participation
An American in ...Habana: travel notes from a US citizen who traveled from US to Cuba last year to participate at The Electronic Music Festival in Habana.
More on Cuba
1. images from Festival de Musica Electroacustica en Habana, March 2000, by Gabriele Proy.
Poster, Pictures and Logo for the ICMC 2001
Site Map

What is the International Computer Music Conference?

Since its launch in 1974, the annual International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) has developed into the principal international forum for the exchange of artistic, scientific, engineering and philosophical research in the field of computer music and music technology. The ICMC has been presented annually in many of the major cultural capitals of the industrialized world. It has been hosted in Europe, North America, and three times in Asia to date. Recent hosts include: 1997 Thessalonika Greece, 1998 University of Michigan, 1999 Beijing China, 2000 Berlin, and now Havana, Cuba, in 2001. There has never been an ICMC in any country in Latin America in the 25 years of its history.

Why the ICMC in Havana?

The 2001 ICMC will be in Havana, Cuba in September. This will be a landmark conference for several reasons:

It will be presented for the first time in its history in Latin America.
We have extensive use of the facilities in Havana, including the elegant Teatro Amadeo Roldán, which has just been extensively renovated, 23 years after a devastating fire in 1976. Heifetz, Caruso, Rubenstein and other legendary artists have all performed there since the 1920's. We are also able to reserve the Casa de las Américas, the Karl Marx Theater, and several other major venues in the area. In addition, we are collaborating with representatives from the Hotel Melia Cohiba,which is the largest and most well-equipped hotel in Cuba. The Melia Cohiba has extensive facilities for conference activities, such as conference halls, simultaneous translation, as well as numerous restaurants and shops. The Hotel Melia Cohiba and the Teatro Roldán are both located in the Vedadodistrict, one of the most historic and central areas of Havana, which is Cuba's business and cultural center. This area overlooks the sea wall called the Malecón,a famous promenade for Cubans and tourists alike.
La Habana Vieja, an historic region of Havana, has been deemed an official heritage site by UNESCO, "Patrimonio de la Humanidad," meaning "World Heritage Site."
This project has extensive support from the Cuban Government, the Ministry of Culture, the Cuban Institute of Music, and the Laboratorio Nacional de Música Electroacústica in Havana.
Cuba's musical heritage is tremendously rich; we have made important contacts throughout a wide range of the Cuban musical scene, in classical, folkloric and popular idioms. The potential for projects that expand beyond the usual ICMC programming is quite exciting.

Background

Although it is not widely known, Cuba has been an active member of the international community in electroacoustic music since the early 60's. In particular, composer Juan Blanco has been extremely active in this field. Dr. Blanco is the director of the Laboratorio Nacional de Música Electroacústica and the conference. Maestro Blanco has hosted smaller conferences in Cuba since 1981 entitled "Primavera en Varadero." In 1998 the festival was moved to Havana and is now called "Primavera en La Habana." Juan Blanco is also on the jury of Bourges Festival in France called "Concourse International de Musique Electroacoustique."